Culturally-aware Youth Earns Eagle Scout Award

Though he was an ocean away from Newport News, Morten Draegebo of Scotland managed to receive the Eagle Scout Award he earned as a member of Boy Scout Troop 6 in Denbigh.

Morten joined Troop 6 when he and his family came to the Peninsula from Canada in 1985. He qualified for the Eagle award earlier this year.

"We moved to Glascow, Scotland, before I received the award, so I arranged to come to the ceremony during vacation time," says Morten.

He was accompanied by his mother, Kirsti, and his younger brother, Paul. His father, Steinar, who is helping to streamline a shipyard in Glascow, also arrived on the Peninsula the day before the award ceremony.

The family members were the guests of Kathy and Randall Sikes during their visit to Newport News.

Morten, 16, earned the Eagle Scout rank through his work earlier this year as an organizer of a clean-up detail of property surrounding the Warwick Memorial United Methodist Church on Hoopes Road in Denbigh, which sponsors Boy Scout Troop 6, according to troop master Joe Fudge.

"Troop 6 is one of the top troops in the country. There is nothing to compare in Scotland," says Morten. "Troop 6 will always have a place in my memories because it has been part of me during my formative years."

Morten earned 25 merit badges in scouting. He is a member of the Order of the Arrow, a prestigious scouting honor, and he has also served as senior patrol leader.

"Scouting is very good for young people," he says. "It teaches one self-discipline and it is definitely a challenge."

He fondly recalls camping and hiking trips with Boy Scouts near the Philmont Ranch in New Mexico, where he climbed a 14,000-foot mountain.

Morten was born in Oslo, Norway. He became involved in scouting when the family lived in Canada, where his father was a consultant in naval architecture and marine engineering. Morten joined the Canadian Cub Scouts in 1983.

"There are scout troops in Scotland, but they don't measure up to the American ones. I'll be inclined to reorganize the units if I were to join them over there," he explains.

"We were all sad to leave Newport News. The weather in Scotland is miserable. The schools are not as interesting, but they are changing and are being modeled after the American system. I won't benefit from these changes, but my younger brother will have it better in the next year or two," he says.

Morten hopes to pursue a career in medicine, but hasn't decided where he will go to college. He has at least a year to complete his high school studies.

The former Menchville High School student misses his visits to shopping malls on the Peninsula, but says there are at least some fast food places in Scotland that reminds him of America.

"Over there, young people walk more and they ride bicycles a lot. There are a lot of bike paths and it is not as dangerous as riding a bicycle on the Peninsula," Morten says.

"Scotland is so much smaller. One can see everything they need to see in a few days. America is vast. There is so much more to do in the U.S., and I miss it."